AGU Press Registration Eligibility Requirements

The AGU Press Office provides complimentary press registration to working members of the press for the express purpose of gathering news and information to produce media coverage of AGU meetings.

Press registrants receive, at no charge, a badge that provides access to all scientific sessions, the press room and the press conference room. Some events and activities, including but not limited to invitation-only events and communications workshops, are not open to press badge holders.

All press room badges are issued at the discretion of the AGU Press Office. Press room badges are non-transferable. All registrants must provide credentials regardless of whether they have received press registration for past AGU meetings. Questions about these requirements? Please contact news@agu.org.

Who is not eligible?

Editors of scientific journals, educators, researchers in science communication, professionals in government affairs, public policy, marketing and project management, and representatives of publishing houses, the business side of news media, political action committees or similar, and for-profit corporations, will not be accredited as press and must register as regular attendees.

Meeting presenters

Anyone who presents at the meeting is expected to register for the meeting as a participant and pay the registration fee for the day, or days, of their presentation. Working press registrants who are also presenting at the meeting may qualify for a waiver. Press registrants should contact the AGU Press Office before registering as a meeting participant.

Scientists presenting at the meeting and also reporting from the meeting for a recognized media outlet may be issued press credentials at the discretion of the AGU Press Office.

NOTE: Audio and video recording are not allowed in scientific sessions or in poster halls. Photography is allowed throughout the meeting. Please see AGU’s social media and photography policy for more information.

Press registrant types and required credentials

Staff journalists:

Includes journalists who regularly report, edit or produce news on the Earth and space sciences and are employed at a recognized news media outlet (newspaper, wire service, magazine, radio, television or online media outlet) that engages in reporting and distributing information directly to the general public.

Media outlets associated with advocacy organizations must be explicitly editorially independent of the advocacy organization.

Staff journalists must present a press card, business card or webpage of a recognized media outlet stating their name, title and affiliation; or a letter from an editor of a recognized news media outlet assigning coverage of the meeting.

Freelance science journalists:

Includes freelance journalists who regularly report or produce news on the Earth and space sciences for a recognized news media outlet that engages in reporting and distributing information directly to the general public.

Freelance journalists must present three (3) bylined news reports in the Earth and space sciences intended for the general public and published in the past year.

Photo and video journalists:

Includes photo and video journalists whose primary purpose is news gathering and dissemination, and who regularly produce images and/or video for recognized news media outlets that distribute information directly to the general public.

Photo and video journalists must present a press card, business card or webpage of a recognized media outlet stating their name, title and affiliation; a letter from an editor of a recognized news media outlet assigning coverage of the meeting; or a portfolio of work that includes images and video of news reports on the Earth and space sciences.

Authors and filmmakers:

Includes creators of long-form stories or compositions about Earth and space sciences, such as books, feature-length documentary films or in-depth magazine articles intended for a general audience.

Authors of textbooks or publications of scholarly work are not eligible for press credentials.

Authors and filmmakers must present evidence of a current project in the Earth and space sciences or a project in the Earth and space sciences intended for a general audience and published in the past year.

Science bloggers:

Includes writers for editorially-independent blogs that have been in existence for at least one year, have a readership of at least 3,000 unique visitors or sessions per month, and regularly produce original news content in the Earth and space sciences intended for a lay audience. Blogs should have editorial freedom from advertising sponsors and sponsors must be clearly identified.

Blogs must be hosted by a recognized news media outlet, scientific society, educational institution, government agency or a non-profit Earth and space science research organization. Writers for corporate-owned blogs and personal blogs are ineligible for press credentials.

Bloggers must present evidence of three (3) bylined news posts in the Earth and space sciences in the past year and a screen shot of blog analytics covering the period of the past year (e. g., August 2018 – August 2019) showing the number of unique visitors or sessions per month. The AGU press office may, on a case-by-case basis, weigh a bloggers’ social media following in determining eligibility for registration.

Science podcasters:

Includes hosts and producers of science podcasts that have been in existence for at least one year and regularly produce original audio content in the Earth and space sciences. Podcasts must be hosted by a recognized news media outlet, scientific society, educational institution, government agency or a non-profit Earth and space science research organization. The AGU press office may grant press credentials to producers of independent podcasts not hosted by a media outlet or scientific institution/society, or those that have been in existence for less than one year, on a case-by-case basis.

Podcasters must present a link to the podcast homepage and a webpage or business card clearly showing their name and affiliation with the podcast. They must also provide a link to or screenshot of the podcast’s page on a major listening platform such as iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher or Spotify.

If the podcast is not hosted by a media outlet or scientific institution/society or has been in existence for less than one year, the AGU press office may ask for additional credentials and weigh a podcast’s monthly downloads, listener ratings and social media following in determining eligibility for registration.

Public information/press officers:

Includes public information and press officers of recognized scientific societies, educational institutions, government agencies and non-profit Earth and space science research organizations whose primary role focuses on communicating science with the press or public and are attending the meeting to facilitate interaction between scientists and journalists.

Professionals in government affairs, public policy, marketing and project management do not qualify as public information or press officers.

Public information and press officers must present a business card or webpage clearly showing job position, a letter from a supervisor describing job duties or a recent sample of relevant material distributed to the press, such as a news release.

Institutional science communicators:

Includes science communicators, including writers, videographers, illustrators and social media content producers, of recognized scientific societies, educational institutions, government agencies and non-profit Earth and space science research organizations whose primary role focuses on communicating science with the public.

Professionals in government affairs, public policy, marketing and project management do not qualify as institutional science communicators.

Institutional science writers must show evidence of three (3) bylined, original news or feature stories in the Earth and space sciences published in the past year and intended for the general public.

Videographers, illustrators and social media content producers must present a business card or webpage clearly showing job position, a letter from a supervisor describing job duties or a recent sample of relevant material, such as a video or illustration.

Journalism students/educators:

Includes current students in a college or university journalism program who are attending the meeting to produce media coverage of it for the general public, or faculty of a college/ university journalism program who are attending the meeting to facilitate student coverage of the meeting for the general public.

Students must present evidence of current enrollment in a college/university journalism program and a letter from a supervisor assigning coverage of the meeting and stating where the coverage will appear.

Faculty must present a business card or webpage clearly showing their job position, plus a written statement of their role at the meeting, which students they will supervise and where coverage will appear.